2009-10-24 - Not all journeys start in the small village of Bayanga.The trip has hardly any turns during the first hour. A straight road built by a logging company takes us there. A sign tells us that we’re entering the Parc National Dzanga-Ndoki. When the road finally turns, it follows an elephant path. Exactly the opposite of the road used by the loggers. The jeep’s suspension wants to go on strike. David who is behind the wheel mutters something in sangho. I suppose he’s using bad language.At the end of the road, there are a fenced area with half a dozen low huts. Solar panels on the roof indicated that the inhabitants aren’t native. This outpost is known as Baï-Hoko. For seven years, researchers have been busy trying to find out what a day in the life of a western lowland gorilla (latin name: Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is like. This is the most common species of gorilla, the one you’ll find in the zoo. Surprisingly, it’s also the one that we know the least about.

You’re not in for an ordinary safari where your guide will mix drinks while chatting about the fauna. When you arrive at the Baï-Hoko you will follow the routine of the researchers and their assistants. To them it’s an ordinary day at work.

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LogisticsThe Dzanga-Ndoki National Park is located in the southwest corner of the Central African Republic. There’s one international flight per week from Paris to the nation’s capital Bangui. Then you need to go by jeep for approx. 18 hours to Bayanga, should you not be lucky enough to charter the only private airplane in the country (and by doing so you’re entering a strange kind of lottery – if the president wants to use the plane, you’re basically out of options).